


The Powers That Be

by JessaLRynn



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Crack and Angst, Episode Related, Episode: s01e13 The Parting of the Ways, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 21:56:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6026680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessaLRynn/pseuds/JessaLRynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The console explodes open with a crack like thunder, and lightning pours forth in the wake of the sound.  There's no time to blink or hide her eyes.  There's no time.  There's no such thing...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Powers That Be

**Author's Note:**

> From a ficathon over at then_theres_us (Challenge 57)
> 
> This is not what I expected to write for this challenge. Just a warning that there was something wrong in my brain when I wrote it, and it would be impossible to explain how I got where I got from the prompt.

The console explodes open with a crack like thunder, and lightning pours forth in the wake of the sound. There's no time to blink or hide her eyes. There's no time. There's no such thing...

**

"Hello?"

**_"HELLO!!!"_ **

"Bloody ow! What the hell!?"

"SORRY."

...

...

"What's going on?"

"YOU CAME HERE. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE GOING ON?"

"Sorry, what was that?"

"ARE WE SURE THIS ONE BELONGS HERE?"

"IT IS ON THE LIST."

"All right, you don't have to get nasty. I'll just go, yeah?"

"GO WHERE?"

...

"Good question. Er... What's going on?"

"YOU HAVE ALREADY ASKED THAT AND WE HAVE ALREADY ANSWERED."

"So it's anything I want at all?"

"CERTAINLY. YOU ARE THE NEW ANTHROPOMORPHIC PARADOX MANIFESTATION. IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR CHOICE."

"I want to save the Doctor."

...

"A MOMENT, PLEASE."

"What're you lot, anyway?"

"WE ARE ONE."

"Fine. What are you single?"

"WE ARE ALL."

"You are confused."

"POSSIBLY."

...

...

"So, do I get to save the Doctor?"

"THAT IS YOUR WISH. YOU HAVE BECOME ALL OF TIME AND SPACE: AN INFINITE GODDESS OF DIVINE POWER. WHAT YOU WILL IS WHAT IS TRUE."

"So, I can go do that, yeah?"

"IT'S COMPLICATED."

"Complicated? Aren't you supposed to be like - I dunno - the Powers that Be or some such? How can anything be complicated for you?"

"IT'S THE DOCTOR."

...

"Good point."

"THANK YOU. ANSWER A QUESTION, IF YOU WILL."

"Sure, I s'pose. If I can - I'm not exactly clever or anything."

"WHY DO YOU DO THAT?"

"Do what?"

"MAKE STATEMENTS THAT YOU KNOW TO BE PATENTLY UNTRUE."

"Oh... Er... force of habit, I guess. It was safer when I was a kid and besides, being around the Doctor can make anyone feel pretty dense. That's what you wanted to know?"

"YOU HAVE TURNED TIME INSIDE OUT TO CREATE ONE HUMAN CHILD AND YOU ARE SHE AND SHE IS YOU. WHAT ARE YOU CALLED?"

"Er... That's really a lot more complicated than I had..."

"WHAT ARE YOU CALLED?"

"Rose."

"TOO SIMPLE."

"YES, HARDLY A CORRECT NAME FOR A PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF AN ANTHROPOMORPHIC TEMPORAL DEITY. CHOOSE ANOTHER."

"What? Like Nephthys or Hera or some such?"

"THOSE ARE TAKEN, AREN'T THEY?"

"AREN'T HUMANS USUALLY KNOWN FOR THEIR CREATIVITY?"

"BE FAIR. IT'S USUALLY WHEN TRYING TO DESTROY THEMSELVES, REMEMBER."

"Oh, you be fair! It's not like that's what I asked for, is it? I only want to save the Doctor. So can I?"

"WHAT WILL YOU CALL YOURSELF?"

"That's seriously what you're worried about? Want me to come up with a code name, like Superman or Stargirl or..."

"OR?"

"Or Bad Wolf?"

"I LIKE IT."

"I LIKE IT!"

...

"WE LIKE IT."

"Great. So can I save the Doctor now?"

"A DIFFICULT PROPOSITION..."

"You said I'm a god, though. Certainly feels a bit like being a god - what is all this stuff going on in my head?"

"YOU HAVEN'T GIVEN US THE MOST SIMPLE OF REQUESTS HERE."

"MOST YOUNG DEITIES WANT THE SUN AND THE MOON, KNOWLEDGE, POWER OVER SPACE AND TIME, THE OCCASIONAL LOVED ONE BACK FROM THE DEAD."

"A FEW IMPOSSIBLE THINGS, YOU UNDERSTAND. YOU SEEM TO HAVE MANIFESTED WITH MOST OF THAT, AND THE ABILITY TO ARRANGE MOST OF THE REST OF IT AT YOUR LEISURE. BUT THIS?"

"WHAT YOU'VE ASKED FOR... WELL, I'LL EXPLAIN, SHALL I?"

"YES, I THINK I SHOULD."

"VERY WELL." 

"Well, go on, then!"

"IT SAYS HERE THAT WHEN HE WAS TWO YEARS OLD, ONE OF HIS BROTHERS MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE ATTEMPTED TO DEFENESTRATE THE CHILD, BUT EITHER WAY NEARLY MANAGED TO PUSH HIM OVER THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN..."

"HE WAS TAKEN TO THE SCHISM AT THE AGE OF EIGHT AND FLED..."

"WHEN HE WAS SEVENTEEN, HE RELEASED A BLACK HOLE IN A CLASSROOM..."

"WHEN HE WAS THIRTY, HE WAS CAUGHT IN AN EXPLOSION..."

"FOR HIS HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY, HIS CLASSMATES THREW HIM A DISASTER..."

"WHEN HE WAS TWO HUNDRED, HE WENT TO WAR..."

"LEFT HIS HOME"

"STOLEN SHIP"

"STOLEN CHILD"

"WANTED MAN"

"DALEKS"

"MADNESS"

"CHAOS"

"DESTROYED HIS SHIP"

"LOST THE CHILD"

"MORE DALEKS"

"CYBERMEN!"

"CHAOS"

"DALEKS DALEKS DALEKS"

"WAR GAMES"

"TIME LORDS"

"MASTER"

"OMEGA"

SILURIANS

UNIT

CYBERMEN

METEBELIS THREE

SPIDERS

MASTER

ROBOTS

SONTARANS

GALLIFREY BLACK HOLE BLACK GUARDIAN KEY TO TIME ABSOLUTE POWER CYBERMEN DALEKS AGAIN SWIMMING IN THE VORTEX HOLE IN THE UNIVERSE MASTER ASSASSINATION CYBERMEN HISTORY TRAITOR DALEKS POISON DALEKS MASTER TRIAL RANI POSSESSIONCHAOSDESTRUCTIONVIOLENCEWARWARDALEKSDALEKSTIMEWARDALEKSDEATH

ROSE

"SO YOU SEE, YOU'RE ASKING QUITE A LOT."

"A bit, yeah..."

"DO YOU STILL WISH TO SAVE HIM?"

"What?"

"SAVE YOUR DOCTOR. DO YOU STILL WISH IT?"

"COME CHILD, WE HAVEN'T ETERNITY TO SPEND WHILE EVERY NEWBORN TINPOT SELF-CREATED ANTHROPOMORPHIC GODLING VACILLATES."

"WELL, WE HAVE ACTUALLY, BUT WE'RE NOT GOING TO USE IT!"

"It's all I want to do!"

"WELL, AS YOU CAN SEE, ONE LIFE-OR-DEATH, FATE-OF-THE-UNIVERSE INCIDENT IS HARDLY GOING TO SOLVE THE SITUATION."

"HE'S NOT VERY GOOD AT KEEPING HIMSELF SAFE, YOUR DOCTOR."

"WE CAN'T SAY THAT WE'RE SURE YOU'RE QUITE UP TO THE TASK."

"WHAT DO YOU SAY TO A TRIAL PERIOD? YOU'VE A FEW MAJOR HURTLES AHEAD OF YOU. IF YOU CAN STAND THEM..."

"BECOME WHAT YOU ARE TO HIM."

"SURVIVE A WAR BY DYING IN BATTLE."

"SAVE THE WORLD BY YOURSELF ONCE OR TWICE."

"BECOME THE ONLY WHOLE MEMBER OF A FAMILY OF HALFS."

"MEET THE BEGINNINGS AND ENDS OF MANY THINGS IN THE PLACE THAT IS YOUR OWN."

"HONOR THE PROPHECY YOU HAVE ALREADY KNOWN."

"SAVE THE UNIVERSE."

"KILL A FRIEND LIKE A FATHER AND FOR THE SAME REASON."

"MAKE HIM SPEAK THE WORDS AND GO WITH THE ONE WHO SPEAKS THEM... WHETHER YOU WOULD WISH IT OR NOT."

"AND WHEN ALL THAT IS DONE FOR GOOD AND ALL, THEN YOU WILL BE WHO YOU HAVE BECOME."

"FOR AS LONG AS YOU REMAIN WHAT YOU HAVE CREATED."

"IT WILL BE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY."

"ALTHOUGH... YOU MAY NEED A TEAM, REALLY. OR AT LEAST, YOU'LL WANT TO CREATE A BACK UP."

"Wait! Training!? TEAM? No, I need to go now..."

**

The Universe boils and reality shrugs up a chaotic island with a desperate shore. There, they all await, the Daleks, the Time Agent, the allies, the Emperor.

And there he is, small and brilliant and forever, the one she created herself to save, to be with, to be for, to understand.

"I WANT YOU SAFE, MY DOCTOR. PROTECTED FROM THE FALSE GOD." Protected forever.


End file.
